untitled
by Kemora
Summary: unfinished, OOC, AU, kinda renn fairish, involves all the 5 gw guys and at least two of my own characters...Time travel, faire garb, abuse of certain gwboys...all makes for a fun time, ne?


"Reading your fantasy books again, Duo?" Duo looked up to see Trowa leaning over the back of his chair, reading over his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah. This stuff is so…I dunno the word. I wish that we could live back then. Back when the adventures were actually challenging to the mind instead of just to the reflexes…" Duo's voice traveled off into the familiar darkness of the small home the 6 had made for themselves. Heero, Quatre, and Wufei had gone out to play in the snow. Kemi and Duo had been out there, but they both got cold and went inside to keep Trowa company. While Heero, Quatre, and Fei were out tromping in the snow, Duo and Trowa were reading in the main room and trying to keep the fire going in the hearth. Kemi was in the kitchen cooking dinner.  
  
"Yeah, and when the men still followed the codes of chivalry!" Kemi called in from her place in front of the stove.  
  
"The codes of _what_?" Duo said, turning around in his chair and smacking Trowa in the face with his braid.  
  
"The codes of chivalry. It was the way knights had to act, and most men followed those rules, too. Here, lemme show you…" She walked over to the bookshelf and pulled a very worn book off the top. "Now…where is it?" she mumbled to herself as she flipped through the pages carefully. "Ah, here it is…there ya go. Read this." She flopped the book in Duo's lap and went back to the stew that was boiling over onto the stove.  
  
"Knights, Dragons, and the Way Things Were. Where'd you get this, Kem?"  
  
"My father gave it to me when I was very young and told me never to forget what life was like when the world was at peace. Just read it."  
  
"*Ahem*. 'Chapter 5: The Codes of Chivalry. Chivalry is the way most men lived by in the days of Arthur. If a boy wanted to become a knight, he absolutely had to learn and live by these rules. The codes of chivalry were: Hope, Strength, Courtesy, Humility, Honor, Prudence, Temperance, Faith, Justice, and Charity.  
  
"A knight must always have Hope. For if hope was lost, all was lost. Strength must have been attained both physically and mentally, because even if a knight were the strongest that ever had lived, a clever opponent still could easily defeat him. Courtesy was very important, to your superiors, your peers, and to people below you. But, if you had no courtesy for anyone else, a man must always have courtesy toward a lady. One who was rude to a woman was always shunned by the public, and most likely driven out of town. Humility was also important. Although not all knights displayed this trait, the best ones, such as Gawain and his brothers, all were very humble. Yet knights still held a strong sense of Honor. Prudence is care, caution, and good judgment, as well as wisdom in looking ahead. Temperance was important, what with all the ladies around a knight. All knights held a strong sense of Faith. They believed that God was with them wherever they went, and often said a prayer before a battle. Knights also had a very strong sense of `Justice. If they saw a maiden being wronged or someone being robbed, they would always take the time to help the person at all costs. And the last code was Charity. Knights would almost always help the poor and needy if they had the means to.' Wow…strict people!"  
  
"No, Duo, smart people. You never hear of Arthurian England being torn apart by wars and people being exiled for what they believed. It was a very peaceful place." Trowa, who had been sitting quietly in front of the fire poking at the glowing embers, was visibly entranced by the ways of Arthurian England. A hushed silence fell over the trio as they all pondered what life would be like if the morals of people had never changed. Kemi got up and moved over to the huge bay window and sat down, staring out into the whirling white snow. Heero and Wufei were wrestling while Quatre was building an all-too-detailed snowfamily. 'Hmm…no, that's no snowfamily. That's us! Maybe it is a family…' Kemi was awoken from her thoughts when a snowball smacked the window with deadly accuracy. She stared out the window to see Fei and Quatre laughing at her surprise, while Heero was building up for another shot. Duo and Trowa had both been drawn out of their thoughts by the loud smack of the snowball, and they all had the same thought on their minds. Duo and Trowa were already halfway to the door, hastily pulling on coats, hats, gloves, etc. when they heard Kemi's footsteps on the hardwood floor. They both turned around to see her go into the kitchen, and Duo thought he saw a rather devilish grin on her face. She came bouncing back out a few minutes later holding two huge garbage bags, both covered in ice and snow.  
  
"I've been hiding these just for such an occaition…" She grinned again and opened one of the bags for the boys to look into. The bags were full of snowballs, each dyed a dazzling array of colors. Duo grinned. Trowa sweatdropped, but they both grabbed a bag and ran outside. Kemi was hot on their heels, not wanting to miss this. They went out the back door, just to add the element of surprise to their arsenal. Unfortunately, the three had already seen them through the millions of windows in the cottage. They didn't know, however, that they were armed. As soon as they stepped out, they were bombed with snowballs, some containing small rocks or ice. Duo was the first to dip into the bag and grab out handfuls of snowballs and start launching them at the other pilots. At first Heero, Fei, and Quatre were shocked at the colors of the balls, then Heero snapped out of it and started throwing their supply again. Soon, all you could see was snowballs, some multicolored, others plain white. After about an hour of war, peace, and mutiny, teams didn't exist, and neither did snowballs. Everyone was flopped in the snow, panting. Kemi was the first one to get cold. She rose from her burrow and walked into the house alone, turning around to grin at the boys before shutting the door behind her. Once inside, she built up the fire again, and made 6 cups of hot cocoa, 4 with marshmallows, 1 with whipped cream, and 1 with cinnamon. She then lined them up on a tray and went out to beckon the boys in. They all trudged in, changed out of their wet, cold clothes, and sat down on the couch to warm up. The cabin was completely dark except for the warm glow of the fire and a few candles. Kemi slowly walked out of the kitchen, and all the boys' faces lit up with surprised joy as she carried the tray over to the area around the fire. Heero got the cinnamon cocoa, Wufei got the one with whipped cream, and Quatre, Trowa, Duo, and she got the ones with marshmallows. The quiet ones, Heero, Trowa, and Wufei, were all sitting on one couch. Duo and Kemi were sitting on a smaller couch, and Quatre was cuddled up and wrapped with blankets in a scoop chair. Shinigami, their black kitten, was curled up between Kemi and Duo, and Kemi was resting her head on Duo's shoulder, humming to herself. Everyone was lost in their thoughts, and all sort of drifted off into another world. It didn't take Kemi long to figure out where Duo was. He was in the Renaissance, most likely serenading some pretty girl. She started singing softly, tickling the kitten with the end of Duo's braid.  
  
"Make love with each other, be free with each other, be prisoners of love, till you lie in the sod. Be friends to each other, forgive one another, see god in each other, be beggars to god…" *  
  
*The song is from a band called Double Indemnity, now called Empty Hats. They play Renaissance/Celtic music and play at renaissance faires.  
  
  
  
Kemi awoke with a start. She was alone, and in a strange bed in a strange room. She sat up, and noticed she was in a chemise. There was a beautiful sunrise out her window, She looked around her room and for the first time took in the beauty of her surroundings. Her bed was a four-poster bed with sheer red curtains, red and black blankets surrounding her. She had a black and gray marble fireplace, and on top of the mantle was a vase containing at least a dozen fresh cut red roses. Everything in her room was dark in color, which was just her preference when it came to bedrooms. There were white candles burning, and statues of gargoyles guarding her bed. There was an armoire with its doors slightly open, hinting and calling to her to come and look inside. She rolled her feet over the side of the bed and noticed that they dangled; that meant this was a very high bed. She dropped to the floor lightly and stepped into her awaiting slippers. She walked soundlessly over to the armoire and opened its doors wider to reveal a wonderful array of skirts, bodices, and dresses, made out of beautiful fabrics in many colors. Judging by the sun, it was about 5:00 AM. She slipped back into bed after closing the doors as she heard someone coming. She quickly pretended to be asleep. Her door opened, and two people came in.  
  
"Lady Kemora? Are you awake?" The voice sounded like it was coming from a male, about 12 years old. He turned around and whispered something to whoever was beside him; they, then, placed something on the table by her bed. She immediately smelled food. "Come, Elaine. We shall let Lady Kemora sleep. Shall we go give Lord Maxwell his breakfast?"  
  
"Yes, let us go. I fear we shall wake the Lady if we remain." They didn't leave out the door they came in. Instead, they left out of a door that Kemi had not seen before, and then they disappeared. Kemi immediately sat up and turned to the food they had brought. She ate hastily, then tiptoed over to the door that the boy and Elaine had gone through. She opened it slightly, and was very relieved to see Duo sitting in a bed not unlike her own eating his breakfast.  
  
"Duo!" She ran quietly in and stood by his bed. It then hit her that, if they were where she thought they were, she had just did a horrible thing. Duo noticed this, but dismissed it with a smile.  
  
"Hey, Kemi? Where are we? This is kinda freaky…"  
  
"Tell me about it… Have you found the others?"  
  
"No…how the heck did we get here?! All I remember is you singing, then I think I fell asleep…when I woke up, I was in this weird room all alone, cept for Shinigami here…" He gestured to the foot of the bed where Shinigami was lying asleep. Kemi smiled and sat down on the end of the bed and started stroking the cat.  
  
"Duo, this is weird. It's like we were zapped to the middle ages or something…Did you hear what they called us? 'Lady Kemora and Lord Maxwell'. That, put together with all of this stuff, means that we're at least remotely wealthy…" Her voice trailed off as both she and Duo froze. Voices were coming toward Kemi's door, and here she was with Duo! She got up and walked hastily back into her room. She shut the door and took a place at the window before two people came into her room.  
  
"Ah, Lady Kemora. I see that you have awakened, finally. I suppose you're wondering where you are." She stood, walked over to her bed, sat down, and nodded. "Well, as my wife and I were taking our evening ride, we noticed a saddled horse standing in a clearing, but we didn't see or hear anyone around. We went and investigated and found you and your friend lying on the ground. You were both rather cut up, so we decided to take you and your horses back here. Do you remember what happened?"  
  
"N-no, sir. I thank you for your hospitality and generosity, but I am afraid I have no memory of what happened, or even of life before that incident. But, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know my name?" She looked down at her arms and noticed that they were all bandaged. She also noticed that she had a throbbing pain on her neck and side, along with stiffness on her back. The old man and his wife looked at each other and shook their heads in pity.  
  
"Well, we cannot have young maidens and their companions tromping around Camelot without any recollection of where they've been all their lives. How do we know your name, you ask? Look on your necklace." Kemi looked down and saw a pewter pendant on a cord around her neck. She looked at the front and saw a crest: a flame with a sword behind it and a heart in the center of the flames. On the back was her name. "If it is all right with you and your companion," the man continued, "my wife and I would like to have your party stay here for the rest of your days. What do you say?"  
  
"W-well, Sir, I must speak with D- eh, my friend and see what he thinks, if you don't mind." She looked up at them, her hair falling over into her lap and her chemise off her shoulders, giving them her patented 'Please?' look. The man chuckled, then nodded to the door by the window.  
  
"You'll find your friend through that door. We will be downstairs in the gardens when you are ready. You'll find clothes to your liking in the armoire." And with that, he left. His wife remained.  
  
"How are your wounds? We had the servants wash and bind them as well as they could. It seems that you were the most beaten up out of them all."  
  
"There were more? How many were there, Ma'am?" Kemi went to stand, but did so too suddenly, and had to sit down quickly. The woman rushed over to her and sat down next to her. Tenderly, she brought her chemise over a bandage on one shoulder.  
  
"There were 3 more, I believe. One very dark looking man. He was riding away from you, but I saw him leave a flower by you, so I believe he was your friend, also. Then there was a very light man. Another couple had seen your party just as we had, and they took him to their manor, along with a very strange man. He had very dark hair that fell to his shoulders, and very strangely shaped eyes, that were as black as his hair." Kemi sat, thinking of how they all must look to these people, who knew nothing of the Arabs or the Chinese.  
  
"Do you know where the manor was that the others were taken to? Were they allright? Do you know where He-" She was silenced by a finger to her lips.  
  
"Hush, child. All will be answered later. Go speak with your friend. I'm sure he's just as worried as you." With that, she rose and gracefully swept out the door. Kemi jumped up as carefully as she could, cursing the fact that her wounds had been pointed out to her. She knocked on Duo's door, and when she heard him beckon to her, she entered. He was sitting on the bed, staring out the window. He was in a pair of loose brown pants and lacking a shirt, which was normal for him. He, like Kemi, had wounds. His whole side was wrapped with gauze, as was his upper arm. He rose when she entered, and grasped her hands. Only when he stood, she noticed that he was wearing a necklace much unlike her own. She had never seen his eyes be so troubled.  
  
"Kemi, I just heard that the others were dead! I…I…" he bent over, unable to speak any more, and leaned his head on her shoulder. She jerked under the pressure on another wound. Duo looked up at her, and gingerly pushed the cloth off of her shoulder to reveal a slightly bloodstained bandage. He looked at her with a funny look, and she pushed up her sleeves to reveal that one palm was bandaged, along with various places up her arm. He touched her palm with an unforeseen tenderness and brought her hand up to his lips. He gently kissed her fingertips, and brought her hand to the side of his face. She stretched her fingers to fit his face, then drew her fingers down his neck to rest on the huge bandage on his chest. Then Duo spoke. "What happened, Kemi? Where are we? Where is everyone else?" He sounded lost, alone, and scared.  
  
"Duo, the others are all right. Quatre and Fei were taken to another manor, and Heero rode off into the woods. The only one they didn't mention was Trowa, but he's probably with Heero. We're in the manor of a rich elderly couple, who found us and took us in. I don't exactly know details, but I think we were attacked. The woman said that I had had the worst of it, so the others can't be all that bad. Anyway, the reason I came in here was to say that they want us to live here. That would mean that we would get this when they pass on…but we have to decide and find them in the gardens. They wouldn't tell me anything else…" Duo still looked lost, but he nodded. Shinigami jumped down from the window and went into Kemi's room. Duo's room was comparably lighter, being decorated in white and green, with light woods instead of her mahogany. He peeked into the doorway of her room, and she took him by the hand and led him into the welcomed darkness. As he took in everything, she went over to her armoire and pulled out a dark blue bodice, dark blue underskirts, and a light blue overskirt with a slit in the front. Duo watched her as she tossed the clothes on the bed, eyeing the bodice with curiosity.  
  
"Kemi, what's that?" He asked, pointing.  
  
"Oh, that's a bodice. It's basically like a woman's vest."  
  
"Looks confusing…" he cocked his head and shrugged. Kemi laughed.  
  
"If you think that's confusing, you should see your clothes!" He scratched his head, then dashed into his room to look at his clothes. She followed him in and helped him pick out a good outfit. He would wear black pants, a dark red, almost maroon shirt, and black windowpane vambrances. They kept their outfits simple, not wanting to have to be dressy. She then left him to figure out his clothes and got dressed herself. She was brushing out her long red hair when Duo came knocking at her door. She called him in, and he came over to braid her hair. He put it in a braid that went around her head, interweaving some rose buds. They then went off to find the gardens of the manor.  
  
  
  
More than two weeks had passed since their 'accident'. Duo and Kemi had agreed to stay in the manor, at least until they found their friends and another place to live. They learned that the manor that Quatre and Wufei were at was at least 3 days' journey. They had ridden around the countryside to try to find Heero and Trowa, but in vain. Days started mostly in the same way; either Duo or Kemi would awaken first, then they would go into the other's room and start a fire, then go into their room and wait for breakfast. After both had woken up and eaten, they got dressed and met in the hallway to go for a morning walk in the woods. Then they came home, and the only other thing they always did was a horseback ride to see the sun set over the outline of the great Camelot in the distance. But of course, another constant were meals. They always had a decent lunch, and the most wonderful dinner. Then they would go for their horseback ride, then off to talk until the wee hours of the night. All was bliss, except for their not knowing where Quatre and Fei or Heero and Trowa were.  
  
--------Meanwhile, in a manor about 3 days' ride away---------  
  
"Fei? Duo? Kemi? Heero? Trowa?! Where are we?" Quatre was in a very strange predicament. His arms were chained above him, his feet off the floor, and his throat was hooked to the wall with a very cold and wide band of metal. The walls were dark and covered with slime, and the floors were worse. There was almost no light, except for the miscellaneously placed torches. Since Quatre couldn't see below him, he called out. "Is anyone here? Hello?" Quatre had finally decided by the sounds that there was only one person in the cell with him. He listened, and deduced that it was Fei. He could tell by the slight hum in his voice as he softly snored. Quatre felt around with his feet and made contact with what he thought to be Fei. At least it sounded like him; the small "Oomph" noise that came out of him when Quatre kicked him sounded like Fei. Quatre guessed he wasn't conscious, and decided to wait in the darkness and silence until he woke up.  
  
  
  
An hour passed, and finally Wufei woke up. "HEY!! Where am I?" As an after thought he added "And why am I chained to the wall…" Quatre heard the fierce rattling of chains, then Fei slump against the wall. "Quatre? Heero? Duo? Trowa? Kemi? Where is everyone? Am I alone?"  
  
"No, Fei, I'm here! But it's only us…"  
  
"For the sake of anything that's sane, where are you?" Quatre kicked him in the head again to get his attention. Fei rubbed his head and looked up to see Quatre hanging above him by his wrists and neck. Fei tried to stand up, but his chains were too short. "Damn! Where are we? Where are the others?"  
  
"I don't know…all I know is the others aren't here, and we're in some sort of a prison. Judging by the way I'm dressed (that's all I can see…) I'm guessing we got somehow zapped to the Middle Ages…I wish I could see more…or maybe sit…at least stand!" Quatre swung himself around, being careful not to hit Fei, and soon found a footrest. The only problem was that it was too far away to reach. Fei saw this and reached over with his feet and pulled it over so Quatre could stand.  
  
"How did you figure all of that out just from what you can see?!"  
  
"Well, I was thinking about how the time-space continuum {Author's note: pronounced continue-umm, meaning literally something absolutely continuous and homogeneous of which no distinction of content can be affirmed except by reference to something else (as duration or extension)} was ripping, and all it needed was a trigger to open it and make time travel possible. I was wondering what the trigger would be, and if it would be possible, once ripped, to repair the continuum back to its original state. Well, I don't know what opened it, but I think I know how to close it. Unfortunately, now we have changed history by simply existing." This all sent Wufei's mind reeling. They both sat (or stood) thinking until they heard voices coming down the hall. Fei, thinking fast, kicked the stool out from under Quatre's feet, making him hit the end of his chains quickly and painfully. Fei acted angry, and Quatre acted unconscious, which wasn't too hard for him.  
  
"Is this the cell with the newcomers that the kid wants to buy?" _The voice must have come from a large man, judging from its height above me-, Fei thought.  
  
"Yeah, this is the one. Belinda said that the blonde was cute and wanted to use him for a sex toy, but I wouldn't let her. The kid only looks to be 13, 14…and to have a 35 year old woman who's really fat playin with him…I couldn't bear the thought."  
  
"That's your problem…always too soft. Oh well, they'll bring good money. Let's go get em." The two men entered the cell. Fei looked up at them and glared at them with his endless black eyes, making them turn away. The bigger man undid the locks on Quatre's wrists and stomach first, letting him dangle by his neck for a minute, until Fei glared at him some more. The man let Quatre drop with a sickening thud, then went to work on Fei's locks. The smaller man picked up Quatre gently, with the hands of a father, and carried him out. The other man simply walked out after letting Fei loose, then waited for him to follow. Fei, for once, did what he was silently told.  
  
  
  
Heero woke up quietly in the middle of the forest. Around him, his four companions were sprawled around. He checked them all for life threatening injuries, then looked around for Trowa, who had been absent in his original search. When he didn't find him, he got worried. He found horses for all of them, but not one for Trowa. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. After one last quick check for danger, he mounted a horse, red coat with brown mane, and rode off to find a place to bring the rest, realizing that taking the others with him now would only be dangerous to all of them. He didn't hear the people talking or the hoof beats of horses approaching as he tried to ride his horse. He only was concentrating on staying on. Finally he reached a small deserted manor, slightly worn down, but comfortable. He tethered his horse to the post and walked inside the main home. Most furnishings were there, four beds, clear fire place, even a bit of un-perishable food and preserved meats. This told him that the place hadn't been empty long. It didn't seem as though they left suddenly, but it was still peculiar that they would leave food, so precious a resource for people who would live here. He dropped the pack that had been lying beside him and ran back to the clearing, only to find that the others were gone. He looked around, panicked, until he heard Trowa's smooth voice behind him.  
  
"They're gone, Heero. It's only us now." Heero whipped around to see Trowa standing just beyond the tree line, a long cut running down the side of his face that his hair didn't cover, his shirt cut up and slightly bloody, and limping badly on one leg. Heero ran over to him and put his shoulder under the other boy, who was falling over. In doing this, Heero found an injury of his own: a huge abrasion on his shoulder. He hadn't thought to check himself for injuries.  
  
"Where'd they go, and what happened to you?" Heero adjusted so all of Trowa's weight wasn't gathered on his wound.  
  
"Well, I would love to have an answer to either of those questions, but I must say I don't. I woke up and found the clearing, but I didn't find my voice in time to call to the people taking the others away. I've just been sitting here waiting for someone or something to happen." Heero nodded, then took Trowa over to the manor. There they passed their days quietly, searching for the others on days they could.  
  
  
  
Kayra sighed and looked out her window. She had been watching these boys outside her home without being able to see them. Her father was a strict man, not letting her leave the home ever. His idea was that the outside world was bad, it corrupted young girls and gave them ideas, and so if she stayed inside, she would make a perfect wife for some rich man to bring money into the home. So, Kayra was forced to be content with staying in her room. She hadn't even a courtyard to go into. Never once had she felt the warm sunshine on her face, danced in the moonlight, anything. She never even had any visitors, which was why she was so enthralled with the boys outside her window. She saw them wrestling, walking, but never talking. Seemed they were always quiet. She didn't understand why, though. From what she was told, boys were talkative, dirty, rude creatures very much unlike herself. They fought with swords and daggers, whips and chains, and other weapons used for killing and bloodshed, which were two things she despised. She also, out of the back of her home, saw a girl and a guy, or at least she thought they were such, either that or both girls. If there were a man among the two, he would have been very dishonorable; his hair was past his waist! She sighed and turned back to her window to watch the two boys. They were wrestling in the sunlight, clad only in their shorts. The boy in black was winning most of the time, but the one with the funny hair wasn't an easy opponent. She watched them for hours, just content with sitting there in her room, dreaming about the day when she would be wed.  
  
  
  
Kemi wandered around the forest alone in the mid morning, her hair shining brightly like fire in the dancing sunlight. She ran among the trees, singing to herself and dancing. It felt good to dance again, the way she wanted to. She and Duo had been taking dancing lessons, but they were too formal for her. She had to wear all of the proper layers of clothing, even though it was summer and they were dancing. But now she shed most of her layers, until only her chemise, bodice, and one skirt remained. Her hair was down and flowing down her back. She was in the mood for making trouble, to give in to the elf blood in her. She wandered for a bit, then came upon a little hut in a clearing by a stream. There was a Scotsman outside by the stream, complete with a kilt and everything. She smiled, knowing that a true Scotsman couldn't resist trouble, either. "Now how to get his attention without looking dumb…." She thought. Her dilemma was soon cured when a huge man came from behind her.  
  
"Well, little lady, what's a fair flower like you doing in the woods all alone?" He had a greasy voice, the kind that makes your skin crawl. She turned around slowly and saw that he looked even greasier than he sounded. His hair was short and unkept, his clothes spotted with the remains of a month's meals and fun, and the sword that he had drawn was nicked and notched from carelessness. She looked him up and down, then decided to have fun.  
  
"I might ask you the same thing, sir. That sword of yours would do you no good against a worthy opponent, and I do imagine that you would have a hard time parrying a taller man's blows or a shorter man's jabs. So, perhaps you are at more of a danger than I." She smiled and shifted her weight so her daggers were hidden. She had her bow and arrows in plain sight, but he might not have seen them. His eyes flared up with anger and he raised his sword over her head.  
  
"How dare you say such things to me, you insolent simpleton!" His weight shifted in a clumsy rage, and his sword came plummeting down on top of her. When he looked at what should have been her bloody corpse, he saw her in a crouching position, two daggers above her head that caught his mighty blow. His face paled as he realized she would be a worthy opponent, were he to continue this battle. He, the fool he was, did. He hauled his sword up again and again, each time being stopped short by Kemi's swift daggers. She never once tried to hit him, though, knowing that if someone of authority were to show up, she couldn't be charged with anything but self defense. She was just about to get serious when the man she had seen before came over. He looked at the situation at hand and smiled.  
  
"Excuse me for interrupting," he said quietly. The large man stopped mid swing to listen, and Kemi stopped and turned around, keeping her eye on both men. "But, if I am not mistaken, it's rather rude to attack a faire young maiden such as herself. And it's disgraceful to yourself to fight against a woman and lose so horribly." The man stopped, thinking about what the boy had said, and Kemi stalked up to both men and slapped them both in the face. She stood by the Scotsman, though, mostly to pass the battle on to him and see how well he fared.  
  
"Who are you to intrude on our battle??" The dirty man swung his sword high up in the air and--- it got stuck in a tree branch. He put all of his effort behind swinging down on the Scot's head, but he underestimated the tree limb's height and strength. The sword got embedded deep in the branch, and no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge. While he was trying to free his weapon, Kemi and the Scot were laughing so hard they were crying. The ogre-ish man saw the two laughing hysterically; he turned away and ran off crying. As soon as she could breathe again, Kemi put away her daggers in their miscellaneous hiding places. The Scot watched her in awe.  
  
"How can a woman such as yourself have so many daggers on her person at once? You look so…demure and helpless…" He hadn't actually seen her very well from the front, so he didn't know how she really looked, but she certainly didn't look demure and helpless, to say the least. Bodice drawn in tight, fluffed up nicely, mischievous sparkle in her eyes, and playful grin tugging at her lips, she certainly surprised him when she finally turned to look at him straight on. "Boy, he's not too hard on the eyes…" she thought. "Tall, broad shoulders, strong, red hair, green eyes, kilt…I could get used to that…." She was brought out of her thoughts by him putting his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Lass, you're bleeding a bit. Did you notice?" She looked to where his hand was and noticed that a small drip of blood had made its way down into the crease in her chest. His eyes followed the drip down as far as he could see, then a grin pulled at his mouth. She saw the look on his face and grinned, knowing that she was getting in the trouble she wanted.  
  
  
  
Wufei woke up slowly, groggily, and tried to assess his surroundings. He was surrounded by hay, and it was dark. There was a dull throb coming from his hip, as if he were laying on something, and his hair was down. He sat up, his eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness. He could see Quatre's golden hair glinting in the small streaks of light that came through the cracks in the walls. He leaned over Quatre to see if he was awake, while picking some of the hay out of his unbound hair. He nudged Quatre gently, trying to wake him up. "Quatre, come on, wake up…" Even his quiet voice called in his captor.  
  
"Ah, so yer 'wake, now, eh? Good, I can put ye to work then!" He grabbed Wufei by his hair and violently dragged him to his feet and out into the bright sunlight. Wufei cringed as the light stung at his eyes, but had no time to see his surroundings. He was finally dropped into an unsteady heap in the middle of a garden that needed tending to badly. He stood up and noticed that the man that had dragged him here was shorter than he by about an inch or so. The man shoved a rake into his hands and pointed to the garden. "Work well an' maybe the lady will let yeh sleep longer than today!" He turned around and stalked back to the shed where they had come from, dragging Quatre out in the same manner. Quatre, however, was led into the manor instead of out into the fields as he had. He stood there watching until he heard and felt the crack of a whip against his back. He jumped up and turned around and saw a man much taller and larger than he was, with at least two different types of whips on his belt.  
  
"Get to work, yeh Chink!" Fei was about to protest when the whip came down again on his shoulder, sending him to the ground, where he sat pulling weeds in the hot sun and thinking of a way to escape.  
  
  
  
Quatre was being dragged out of a dream and into the house quite violently, and against his will. He shouted to be let go, but no one listened. They stopped in a small parlor, where a vain looking old woman sat with a very prissy looking young girl by her side. "What am I doing here, and what right have you to keep me in such a manner!?" Upon speaking, Quatre wished he hadn't, as a large hand came down on his neck.  
  
"You will soon learn to be quiet, boy. You are to be Pricilla's whipping boy, as she is a very naughty little girl. You are to do whatever she says, whenever she says to. Also, when she does a bad thing, you will be punished for her, as we cannot see it fit that she should be whipped herself. Go now, Pricilla, and go play. Go with her, boy." Pricilla stood and skipped out of the room, knocking over a vase in the process. She stopped at the noise, and pointed at Quatre. He was then whipped 3 times, and when he cried out, he was whipped again. He soon learned that this girl got in trouble a lot, and that he was in for a trying life if he couldn't get out of there, and fast.  
  
  
  
"Oh Lord Maxwell, I didn't know you were so…interesting!" Duo flashed his award-winning grin at the crowd of girls that had gathered around him. Seems this always happened whenever he went out. The blonde talking to him was rather boring. No brains. Duo sighed, hating to have to deal with the torture of boring women. If he could only find one, one that had intelligence, one that was, well, like Kemi. But he knew he hadn't a chance with her. They had spoken about it, and they both concluded that they loved each other as siblings, nothing more, nothing less. For now. Both would defend the other with their lives, do anything for each other. He knew exactly what she was doing right now. -Probably getting in trouble…damn her…- Duo thought jealously. –She always has all the fun…- He waved the girls off and went on his way to find trouble for himself. He thought he knew where to find it, too.  
  
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He wandered around for a while in the woods, looking for a certain place. He had his sword and daggers with him, along with his armor. Where he was going, he was going to need it. He was going to an unofficial tournament field, where normal people went to test their skills. His jet- black horse cantered on, knowing where it was going. Soon enough, they were upon the field, and it was bustling! Men from all over were there, clad in shiny armor, their squires attending to them. He had always come here with Kemi, so when his few friends saw him alone, they all laughed. "Couldn't drag her here with ye, eh?"  
  
"Oh, shut up Scott! I could so drag her here, only she's not home, and I have no clue where she is…" Scott was often his partner, and a very well mannered Irishman.  
  
"Shall we, Duo?" He gestured toward the empty field with a grin tugging at his lips. Duo nodded, mounted his horse again, and rode over to get suited up. He was unlike most of the others, as he didn't need a squire to help him get into his armor. Granted, it was easier if he had Kemi there, but he could do it on his own. Scott was the same way. They suited up and mounted again, then got into position. At the signal, they charged together with such a force that both were unhorsed and their lances were both broken. They got up and went at each other with their swords and daggers for hours, both bleeding, until they came to an agreement to stop and continue another time. Night had fallen, so most of the men camped out, and Duo and Scott talked into the night for hours until falling asleep.  
  
  
  
"Kayra, oh Kayra dear?" Kayra stirred at the sound of her guardian, keeper, makeshift mother, whatever you wanted to call her. "Kayra, are you awake in there?"  
  
"Hilda, yes, come in...", she said groggily. Hilda opened the door shyly, then gasped that a fire wasn't going and how cold it was in there. Kayra nodded detachedly, not really listening to what she was saying until she heard something about "getting married to a wonderful prince, you'll love him so much" Her eyes bulged, and she almost choked on the cocoa she was drinking.  
  
"WHAT?! What business have they choosing my husband for me? If I could get out of here, I know exactly who I'd marry, and nobody would be able to stop me, except maybe him, but how can they do that to me?!" Hilda went over and calmed her.  
  
"Hush, child, you have nothing to worry about. This prince has shown interest in you without even knowing you, and he's nothing like any of the boys you might see out your window, I'll tell you that much...." she went on to describe the man, but Kayra had already tuned her out in favor of her own thoughts about the boys she saw out her window. The dark, shorter one struck her fancy. The tall one sort of freaked her out, because he could do flips and tricks better than any performer she had ever seen. She sighed, looking longingly out her window, until Hilda smacked her shoulder curtly. "What are you looking at out there, child?"  
  
"I'm watching the boys out there, Hilda. They enthrall me. I study them every day, trying to get a hold on their habits and such, just so I can know a bit of what to expect when I marry one of th- I mean, when I marry the prince!" She cringed at her mistake, knowing there was to be punishment for it.  
  
"You fancy one of these boys? I knew there shouldn't be a window in here....you, miss, shall pay for your mistake." She stormed out of the room and shut the door, but in her haste she seemed to forget to lock it. Kayra grinned at this possibility, and went to make sure that the door in fact was not locked. The knob turned oh so easily, and she shut the door hastily but quietly after peering down the steps and went to preparing. She packed some things in a cloth, making it small, and hid it in her skirts, which she changed to make look older. She then took some sheets and wrapped herself in them, making it so nobody who knew her would be able to tell who she was. Night was falling, so she was lucky, and as soon as she was sure most of the castle was asleep, she snuck downstairs into the kitchen. The servants weren't there, and she grabbed some food from wherever she could find and tried to find a door. She had never been down here in the main castle, just in her tower, so she was getting lost in her own home. She soon found a small door, though, in the back of a hall that led outside. She snuck out into the woods unnoticed, and wandered out into the woods alone in the dead of night. She knew that if they found she was missing, they'd send out a search party immediately, so she had to gain ground on them before they started looking. She ran around in circles half of the night, however, and twisted her ankle on the hard ground in her shoes, which were not made for running. She finally collapsed by a tree and slept immediately, oblivious to where she was or what danger might be about.  
  
Heero and Trowa had passed their days quite slowly, sparring and training, and searching for their friends when they could. They had found a manor, but when they inquired as to if they had seen anyone matching any description they gave, the people at the door waved them off, giving some curt and rude excuse and saying they hadn't seen anyone like that. They had rode their horses out and found what looked like a training ground, but it was empty when they were there, so they decided not to go back. They were out searching the woods again, split up as usual, when Trowa found something strange and called to Heero.  
  
"Hey, Heero, come look at this....I found a girl." Trowa looked down at a small heap of a woman as Heero came up behind him. Heero looked at her, dismayed.  
  
"I thought you found Kemi...who is this, anyhow?"  
  
"You expect me to know? She looks like that girl who stares at us sometimes through the window up in the castle, but...." his voice trailed off as she stirred and slowly awakened. When she saw the two boys standing over her, she started to scream, but caught herself before she got too loud. She clapped her hand over he mouth and tried to back away, until she was taken aback at the way these boys looked. She had only ever seen women this close before, and she was intrigued by their musculature and physique. When the boys caught her staring, they shrugged and started to walk away, only to be stopped by her voice.  
  
"Hey, wait a minute, come back here!" She started to stand, but found her ankle had picked a position that it didn't hurt in and didn't want to move, so she sat right back down before she hurt it. When they didn't seem to be coming back, she called again, only a bit more forlorn this time. "Please, come back...I have nowhere to go, and I don't know anything about the world...please help me! I can give you food, if that will help...please, don't leave me alone..." Her voice trailed off in the darkness, and soon the boys were back. Well, Trowa was. Heero was off preparing the cabin for this...girl. He wasn't too fond of most girls. He found them annoying and vain. They were always concerned with their hair, or their clothes, or something stupid like that. Well, most girls were like that. Kemi wasn't, and neither were some of the other girls he'd met. Some of them were tolerable. Not many, but some. He didn't really know what to do to get a room ready for a girl...he tidied it up a bit, made another bed, and started heating up some soup they had had for dinner earlier that night. 


End file.
